


Smokescreen

by CasyeTate55, Susannagwendoline



Category: Batman: Arkham (Video Games)
Genre: Attempted Murder, Batfamily Feels, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Loss of Control, Multi, i'll add more as it goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-09 01:23:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7781422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasyeTate55/pseuds/CasyeTate55, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Susannagwendoline/pseuds/Susannagwendoline
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cameron Haller needed to become something more. Especially after Rosa...Gotham is going down. The fear toxin is ready to blow. Batman can't deal with it alone. In comes a person is just as brutal as the Arkham Knight himself. Deathwish is what the criminals call her. She instils fear into the hearts of many. She sticks to the shadows. The bad guys of Gotham know there is something worse than Batman prowling around in the night. That danger is Deathwish. Nobody messes with her. Not even the Joker. She just goes around, doing her dirty job. Cleaning up a destroyed Gotham City. She works alone. That is until the Arkham Knight saves her life. And captures what remains of her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The following story contains strong language and extreme violence throughout. It also deals with themes that the reader may find disturbing/triggering. Be warned. It's gonna be pretty brutal. Don't like, literally, leave now. This is gonna get real dark, real fast. Just saying.  
> Anyway, Shattered Mirrors was going no where. Susanna and I had nothing going for it. But...  
> We have this.  
> Based on the game 'Batman: Arkham Knight'.  
> I really hope you like it, because I am in love with the main character, who Susanna created, in like an hour.  
> Comments are welcome, if you want to leave constructive criticism.  
> Hope you enjoy it. :)  
> Casey xx

This was the day that everything changed for Cameron Haller. Well, everything changed for Cameron a long time ago. But, today was the day she was pushed over the edge. The day she became something else. The day she once again became _Deathwish._ A cruel, cold, merciless killer. An anti-hero prowling around the destroyed streets of the shitty city she could never leave. Will never leave. There isn't any point now. But, what pushed her into the abyss? What turned her from a stern detective with a kind heart to a woman able to break a few necks without any guilt or remorse? Just pure _hatred?_ What made her see that nothing could cure this fucked up world? Let's take it back a few hours. To the exact time she decided to become something... _More._

*pretty short, yeah, but it's just the beginning...*


	2. Rosa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron is called back to GCPD by a worried Commissioner Gordon. She hoped the only person she really cared about wasn't the reason.  
> But, it was.  
> And, it sets Cameron off down a road she can't back away from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the roughest chapter I've ever worked on.  
> Like, holy shit.  
> It may be upsetting/triggering to some readers, so I'm warning you now. Don't like, skip it.  
> For those who don't read, I'll briefly explain in the next chapter notes.  
> Hope you enjoy it either way, no matter how dark it is.  
> Casey xx

  
"Luctor et emergo."

  
"I struggle and emerge." 

**  
_Four Hours Earlier..._  
**

Cameron rushed towards GCPD, avoiding the rubbish and trash that blew onto the road, avoided the rubble from the destroyed buildings. Her police sirens blared and whirred, the blue and red flashing in the darkness as she raced down the road, foot never leaving the accelerator. Something was wrong. She heard it in Gordon's voice. The tired, depressed tone. She knew Gordon was a busy man, always tired, but something put her on edge. Unsettled her. Cameron remembered his exact words: _Cameron, we need you back at the station... It's... See for yourself._ She knew, she fucking _knew_ it involved someone close to her. Hope whispered at her that there was a chance, but Cameron knew there wasn't. Loyalty whispered at her to just go and see. Confirm her fears. But, Cameron, really didn't want to. She didn't want it to involve the person who was in her mind. Cameron swerved around the corner, seeing the big white lettering of GCPD in her sights. Not far now. Cameron stepped on it once again, the tyres burning rubber as the car sped off. The gates barely had time to open before her car shot through them. It came to a jerky stop. Cameron hopped out. A few officers nodded to her and she returned it curtly. She didn't trust herself to speak. Her throat closed up as soon as she exited her patrol car. She couldn't rely on hope. It was unneeded. It wasn't going to help her, either. She knew. And, Cameron couldn't stop it. At all. Even if she tried. Maybe, she could... Cameron pressed her lips into a tight line and wrenched the doors open. She ran. Fast. Hard. She slipped and squeezed through the officers present. Some moved out of her way, shooting her worried looks. They must know something. Anything! Cameron skidded to a stop, catching sight of Commissioner Gordon through the large grey doors that just closed as she went past it. She stood before the doors, taking deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. Slow her heart rate. Her heart pounds hard and fast. It was so loud in her ears. Cameron felt light headed. Calm down. She took another deep breath, trying to find a silver of hope within her. But, she could not. It was impossible to find it within her to hope that the person she was thinking was all right. And, Gordon just wanted her because Scarecrow was planning something bigger than normal. Nothing came up from her efforts. Cameron closed her eyes. Took a few more deep breaths. Cameron focuses strongly on her goal. She reopened her eyes. Looked at the grey door and the blurred glass with determination. Whatever she had to face in there, she would face it with her head held high. She could take it in her stride. With one final breath, Cameron exhaled and pushed open the doors. Her eyes locked with Gordon's and she knew. Cameron's eyes drifted to the white sheet. Her heart stopped. She knew. And, still, Cameron denied it.

*** 

Gordon gave her a sad look. Cameron walked over and Gordon shifted ever so slightly to the side, so that Cameron could crouch near the body under the sheet. A silver of hope ignited in Cameron and she swallowed nervously. Cameron reached out with a shaking hand and grasped the sheet. She pulled it back. Cameron's mint green eyes widen and she recoiled in Gordon, nearly knocking him onto his ass. He caught himself and grabbed Cameron. Rosa. Cameron knew it was her. Rosa... Her little sister. The girl Cameron promised to protect. Rosa was the one who knew Cameron inside and out. They'd known each other for years. Of course they have, they were sisters. Rosa was the one who took no shit and Cameron could go to her for truthful advice. She'd be brutally honest with you, whether Cameron wanted to hear it or not. She was the one who Cameron could call at any hour, any day and cry down the phone or vent and Rosa would listen, without being hypocritical. Rosa was the only one who could make Cameron feel truly loved and one of the only people who could make her laugh. It's going to be _awful_ without Rosa's soft voice, calm words. The pair won't be able share dreams or kick ass together on the job anymore. They won't be able to share secrets on the new hot rookies, or all the Batman news. Rosa loved Batman. She looked up to him. She was one of the people who believed he was a good man. She wanted to meet him one day. Shake his hand and tell him it was an honour. She can't do that now. Cameron could barely hold her emotions back. The rage, the grief. Why? Why did Rosa, of all people, have to die? Cameron exhaled, blinking the cloudy tears from her eyes. Now is most definitely not the time. Cameron examined her sister, imprinting every last detail into her memory. Rosa's sea blue eyes are hidden behind pale lids. Her lips are slightly parted and blue. Her skin is ashen. A bullet wound in her temple. Her blonde hair is clotted with blood. Her uniform is dusty and torn. Rosa was on duty when she died. Cameron narrowed her eyes, something seeming off. Three small pinpricks. In the side of her neck. Right near her jugular. Cameron nearly spat blood. Scarecrow. The fear toxin. Rosa got caught up in it. Jesus Christ. Cameron straightened, knees aching from being crouched for so long.

"She got hit with fear toxin," Cameron stated. Gordon looked blank for a split second, but then nods. "Did she..?" It dawned on Cameron and it made her emotions swell like a wave. Gordon looked down at the dirty grey carpet and that look confirmed it. All hope died within Cameron then. Fuck Superman and his 'hope never dies' bullshit. Hope does die. It did for Cameron. Right there. Right then. Gordon looked broken. Jim was a good man. He cared about the force. Every one who fell, every one who took a bullet, Gordon felt. Cameron knew it. She could see it in his tired old eyes. 

"She radioed for back up an hour ago," The Commissioner began tiredly. "But... She started to scream, struggle. I tried to keep her alive, I really did. My efforts weren't enough, it seemed. I heard the shot. And the thud. She was dead before she hit the ground. She..." Cameron raised a hand, and Jim Gordon fell quiet. He knew. Cameron patted her friend on the shoulder. She wasn't that cruel. She wouldn't force him to say what she already knew. The wound was self inflicted. That pissed Cameron off even more. Scarecrow is going _down._ And, the big, bad Bat can't do shit about it. Cameron drifted over to her cluttered desk, and opened the drawer. Grabbed her spare Glock and shoved it in her other holster. She looked to Gordon. 

"I'm not letting Rosa's death be in vain." Cameron stated, answering the silent question in the air. "I'm gonna patrol. See what I can do to help." Jim nodded his head in agreement and Cameron went to leave. A hand closed around her wrist and she stopped to turn. Gordon looks at her with worry. 

"We'll get him," He said sternly, a fiery glow to his eyes. "Be careful, Cameron." He let go and Cameron nodded her head once. He returned it. Cameron adjusted her uniform and started to leave GCPD. She needed her close friend, Barbara. She needed Oracle. Barbara probably already knew, but still. The two needed _each other._ Cameron's ditching her uniform to adopt her old lifestyle; before things went tits up all those years ago. She went back to Deathwish; a vigilante that the criminals are scared of. Good. They should be. Cameron left GCPD. She didn't look back. Not even once.


	3. Watchtower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cameron visits Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle in the Watchtower. Cameron is battling the dark thoughts she is having, and hiding the pain behind a strong wall of hatred and lust for revenge. Barbara can see through it, and yet, Cameron refuses to show any signs of grief.  
> She also has her thoughts on Batman.  
> Cameron is hellbent on one thing: killing Scarecrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am such a bad person.  
> I have been busy with family and Susanna dropped her laptop. That's literally not a joke. She cried to me over Facetime about it. I was laughing for a straight ten minutes. It was so funny,  
> Anyway, I really do apologise for not updating this in a while. I feel terrible, as I'm usually so proactive with my writing.  
> I hope you enjoy this.  
> Cassidy xx

**__**

"Non desistas, non exieris."

**  
__  
**

"Never give up, never surrender." 

**  
_Present Time..._  
**

Guns bump loudly against her hips as Cameron enters the Clock Tower, landing on her knees lightly, a gloved hand pressed against the floor, splayed out in the shape of a star. Dick Grayson used to mock her about the way she landed after a jump. A 'superhero' landing, he'd always remark. But, Cameron wasn't a hero then. And, she isn't now. Never was. Never will be. Cameron has better things to do with her time than play good cop/bad cop. Right now, she's neither of those. She's Deathwish. A nasty ass vigilante on bad terms with the Batman. Not like Cameron cares. Nothing matters to her but doing her job. Getting revenge for her fallen sister, her only family. Taking Scarecrow's straw ass down. She'll make sure of it. Cameron can't deal with it. She wasn't fast enough to save her parents. Wasn't fast enough to save her only friend, when she was kidnapped and held hostage for six fucking months. She wasn't fast enough to save her sister. The only living family she had left. Cameron struggles to deal with the guilt. Rosa is dead and gone, and Cameron is alone. Even Batman wouldn't understand how lonely Cameron feels. He never spent enough time with her to see it. Batman _hated_ Cameron at first. Because, she was always so close to taking out the criminals once and for all. He has a rule. Don't kill. Yet, Cameron didn't care for it. Batman is the hero of Gotham to some, an enemy to others. Cameron may like him, but the pair still have a sense of hostility. Batman is the one who makes an effort to keep Gotham safe. But, not everyone is meant to make a difference. Cameron is in that category. She knows that. Cameron straightens, dusting off her jumpsuit. She ditched her GCPD uniform for a black and red leather jumpsuit with her Glocks in the holster at her sides. A knife is safely hidden in the sheath of her black combat boots. Her collapsible bo-staff hangs from her belt. All of her gadgets are there too. Her grapple. Smoke bombs. Spare clips for her weapons. She's kitted out. Ready to go. Help some people. Destroy Scarecrow. Whatever comes first, Cameron is prepared. She walks over to Barbara, who sits up, back straight as she scans multiple screens. Looking for any information that may be vital to someone's survival, or just necessary for Batman and his little Robin. Her mask rests on her face. Barbara flicks her eyes up and sees Cameron. She offers a weak smile, but Cameron can't find it in herself to return it. Barbara exhales and fiddles. The sound of radio transmissions increase and Barbara wheels back a bit. Cameron looks down at her friend. Barbara presses her lips into a line, her ginger hair clipped back into a ponytail. She blinks a few times and grabs Cameron's gloved hand, squeezing it tightly. Cameron squeezes back with just as much force.

"I heard what happened to Rosa over the radio..." Barbara says in a quiet voice. Cameron nods, not saying anything. Barbara returns her sad eyes to Cameron's. "She... She was a good cop, Cameron. And a damn fine friend." Cameron offers a painful smile, one full of broken dreams and promises. Barbara gives her hand on last squeeze, then leaves go. She wheels back to her position in front of the Batcomputer and sets her eyes and mind on the tasks at hand. Cameron takes a deep breath, waiting for the lump in her throat to go away. 

"I'm going to kill him, Barbara." Cameron states, fiddling with the handle of her gun. Barbara slows her typing down, eyeing Cameron with caution. Cameron pretends not to see the disapproving look in her eyes. Barbara also adopted the 'no killing' rule. But, Batman never got the chance to engrave it into Cameron. He couldn't control her or teach her. Which, he didn't like. Cameron looks back up to meet Barbara's gaze, only to find her friend's blue eyes back on her work. Cameron pulls a face. 

" I don't think it's for us to say whether a person deserves to live or die. " Barbara says finally, sounding worried. Cameron meets her anxious eyes and shrugs, not bothered. Barbara has a valid point, but Cameron won't take it for an answer. Scarecrow needs to pay. Putting him behind bars will only do so much. Killing him will do more. Give Cameron... What's the word? _Satisfaction._ Cameron jerks her arm out, the elbow joint cracking loudly as she does so. Barbara winces at the sound. She's always hated it when Cameron cracked her bones causally. Always. Cameron rolls her shoulders and sighs. 

"Look," Cameron starts. Barbara looks at her, making sure she is missing nothing important first. "I'm gonna give Batbrain a hand. But, he leaves Scarecrow to _me._ " Barbara hesitates, unsure. She knows the history between him and Cameron. She _was_ Batgirl before the Joker put a bullet in her. That's really how the two came to know each other. Barbara chews on her lip, thinking. She pulls a face, a concerned look in her eyes. 

"I don't know..." She answers, still chewing on her bottom lip lightly. Cameron rests a hand on her shoulder, feeling the soft fabric of her jacket between her fingers. 

"For Rosa," Cameron replies. Barbara hesitates once again, struggling to think of the right answer. She hardens her blue eyes and nods. Cameron grins widely at her friend. She knew she could trust Babs to make the right decision. Cameron gives her a quick hug before going to leave the Clock tower. She grabs her grapple and raises her arm, looking up to see where she has to aim. Barbara's wheelchair squeaks as she turns it around to face Cameron. Cameron looks at her and sees a determined look on her pretty features. 

"Don't die, for fuck's sake." She mutters, shaking her head. Cameron throws her a lopsided grin and mock salutes with her free hand. She fires her grapple and shoots upwards and out of the tower. The air is cold and rain starts to fall. Her black cape billows out behind her in the wind. She lands and looks out at the city. It burns in places, the smell of smoke in the air. Cameron isn't that fond of heights, but she'll have to deal with them. Falling is scary, but she has her grapple and her courage to help her through it. And her murderous determination. She smirks at the black night sky. She sets off, humming the song 'This Little Girl' as she goes. Tonight is gonna be a long night. But, it's gonna be _well_ worth it. 

***

The engine of her brand new sports car roars as she races through the dirty and wet streets of a destroyed Gotham City. The black metal shines dully in the orange glow of the fires that rage through certain streets. Fires burn almost everywhere, some bigger than others. The fear toxin has not been deployed yet. Whatever Scarecrow is planning is bigger than what is expected. He's insane. The people of Gotham must have no where to run. This is Scarecrow. He just wanted to make people... Afraid. Let them know what he could do to them. Cameron ponders on this as she races through the city, hands tightly around the steering wheel, eyes on the road. She tries to find something to do. People to save. People to stop. She's in the mood to kick ass. Her guns are fully loaded. Her knife is safely hidden in the sheath of her black combat boots. Her jumpsuit is skin tight and a black. Like, really dark black. Helps her blend in with the darkness. That is the main goal. Can't exactly wear bright colours. It would make her such easy target practice. Her hair is in a tight ponytail, keeping the long ginger strands from her face. Makes it easier to fight. Less of a thing for bad guys to grab hold of. Not that it really matters. She may be only a simple cop to some, but she is trained in seven different martial arts. Cameron can defend herself. Only a select few have seen what she is _really_ capable of. Those select few are either the lucky ones who she protected or the unlucky ones who received it. A female scream makes her dart sideways, a red dot flashing on her scanners. Her car is just a cheap sports car. Upgraded, of course. With scanners and a a kick ass engine. Cameron did it herself. With a few tips from Barbara. The scanner reads that the distress is coming from an alley thirty feet back the way she came. Cameron spins the car around, her back bumper catching a burnt out car. She puts her foot down and the engine roars out into the night. She slams on the brakes when she is five feet from her destination. Don't want to alert anyone. Cameron steps out, slamming the door and drawing her Glock. Slowly, quietly, Cameron makes her way towards the sound of a girl struggling, whimpering. A gun cocks and Cameron moves a little faster.

"Gimme your fucking money!" A male angrily shouts, voice sounding throaty. And desperate. Cameron comes around the corner, gun up. A man pins a woman, no more than twenty-five against the grimy walls, a shitty handgun inches away from her face. Cameron swallows thickly. _Lifeless blue eyes. Clotted blonde hair._ Cameron bats the image of her sister away with a metal stick and shifts her gun up into her hands. She takes aim. Fires. The noise rings out, and the man jumps. A warning shot. The man has wide eyes. Looks right at her. He starts to move this way and that, annoying Cameron. Her trigger finger twitches. 

"I'd love to shoot you sometime," Cameron snaps, voice cold and harsh in the air. The mans swallows, obviously terrified of Cameron. Or, Deathwish. If he knows that name. "So, if you could just stand still for a second, that'd be great." The man tosses his gun, throws his hands up in the air and takes off down the dark and filthy alleyway. The woman starts to cry in relief, and Cameron puts her gun away, back in her holster and goes over. The woman's eyes are a deep hazel colour and they shine with unshed tears. Her long brown hair is messy and unkempt. Her clothes dirty and torn in places. She looks like she's been through the mill, bless her soul. Cameron feels sorry for her and relaxes her stern expression.  
"Thank you," She says breathlessly, clutching onto Cameron's arm. Cameron raises and eyebrow at her. "I'll pay you." Cameron smiles warmly at the woman. She doesn't need to pay her. No. Cameron heard her scream and did something. She may have lost her sister and parents, but she hasn't lost herself yet. Key word is 'yet'. She can still help others. Cameron gently peels the woman away, who trembles as the adrenaline fades from her blood stream. 

"I'll get someone to pick you up," Cameron mutters and the woman nods. "Stay hidden and you'll be fine." The woman slides away, still thanking Cameron repeatedly. 

"I've made an anonymous call to GCPD," Barbara's voice says in Cameron's ear. "Someone's coming to get her now." After Cameron is sure the woman is safe, she returns to her ride and slides in. Tonight is gonna be a long night if nothing good starts to happen. But, by the time Cameron's helped a few people, put some behind bars or in the hospital, maybe she would have located Scarecrow. _That's_ when the real fun will begin.


End file.
